Fast to the finish: General Industry Coverage

END USER: NAP GLADU, (800) 634-8665, www.napgladu.com.
CHALLENGE: Enhance PCD cutting tool design while decreasing processing times.
SOLUTION: A 6-axis rotary erosion machine.
SOLUTION PROVIDER: Vollmer of America Corp., (412) 278-0655, www.vollmer-us.com.

Improving cutting tool design and effectively producing that design are two separate scenarios. NAP GLADU had designed and engineered PCD tools with smaller spaces between the cutting tips than conventional tools to provide more tips on a tool and, therefore, a freer cutting action. One example is an 8 “-dia. cutter with 80 tips.

However, the company wasn’t able to produce the PCD tools efficiently on the rotary erosion machine tools at its facility in Marieville, Quebec, according to Claude Berlinguette, fabrication and service center manager. (The Jasper, Ind.-based toolmaker has 12 North American locations.) “We had to split the tool into two bodies and then assemble it,” he said, noting that it was a way to get around the problem but was not what the toolmaker wanted to do.

After researching its options, NAP GLADU purchased a QXD400 rotary erosion machine from Vollmer of America Corp., Carnegie, Pa. The machine met the toolmaker’s rotary erosion requirements, and NAP GLADU also has a long history of satisfaction with Vollmer’s equipment and service, Berlinguette noted. “It was a big part in our final decision.”

Because the machine was already available at Vollmer’s facility, NAP GLADU was able to set up the machine and receive the required training shortly after purchasing it. The 6-axis QXD400 has one more axis than the toolmaker was used to, which adds capability but requires additional skills from the operator. “Even though we have guys with experience here, it’s a different type of machine with different programs and different setups,” Berlinguette said.

Although the QXD machine series can combine rotary erosion with grinding, Berlinguette noted NAP GLADU only applies rotary copper electrodes to erode its PCD tools. The electrodes range from about 1 ” to 8 ” in diameter.

Courtesy of Vollmer of America